When I asked Alex what we should say about this soothingly refreshing beverage, he responded that we should call it a “delicious summer treat.”

But for Al, everything is a delicious summer treat.  I might have gotten the same response if I’d inquired about beer or grilled salmon.  He loves all foods and beverages Summer.  Who doesn’t?

Me, for one.  I’m not categorically opposed to summer drinks, but they are second fiddle to the winter drinks of my heart: mulled cider, brewed chocolate with mint, hot lattes.

Predictably, this Green Tea Mint Lemonade is the exception.  The exceptional exception, excepting the exacting exercise of extracting juice from lemons (though if you have a juicer, you’re exempted).  Yes, squeezing is such a pain, but its worth it for this cooling beverage that’s not too sweet, and offers a uniquely refreshing blend of fresh seasonal flavors.

Ingredients (serves 6-8):
1/2 cup packed fresh mint
1 cup sugar
2 cups water, divided
1 cup fresh lemon juice
8 cups iced green tea (or other iced tea)

Instructions:
Combine mint leaves, sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan, then bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Turn off heat and let cool.  Once cool, remove mint leaves and combine with lemon juice.  In a large pitcher, combine iced tea and remaining 1 cup water, then pour the lemon mixture into it.  Serve chilled or over ice, with mint leaves for garnish.

Lately, I’ve been hooked on Trader Joe’s Chocolate Decadence Cereal.

I eat it by the handful or with milk, and it’s sublime over Greek Yogurt.  I go through it so furiously that I figured it might be cost-effective to create homemade Granola with some of the same ingredients: chocolate, almonds, oats, crunch, crunch, crunch.  Not to replace it, of course, just to supplement and slow my consumption of the TJ’s variety.

This recipe isn’t a replication of the TJ’s version, but it’s a similar beast — a platinum to its white gold?  Our granola is definitely not too sweet, but it has a strong honey flavor and a perfectly clustery consistency.  The recipe is inspired by this one from Orangette, with a few tweaks here and there.  We’re already planning to use ours for parfaits later this week, and surely for lots of snacking.

Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds, chopped
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup honey
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds and coconut.  In a small saucepan, heat honey and oil over low, whisking occasionally, until the honey is loose, about four minutes.  Pour honey mixture over dry ingredients and stir until coated.  Spread mixture evenly over two foil-covered baking sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes, stir, and then bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden.  Remove granola, let cool slightly, then stir in chocolate and serve or store in an airtight container, like a plastic bag.

We have some secret news: We are publishing a cookbook! The Frugal Foodie Cookbook by Alex and Alanna our very own selves!

Insane, right?!  It’s been exactly 1 year and 4 days since our literary agent first contacted us about putting together a proposal based on the blog, and since we signed a contract with Adams Media in August, it’s been a non-stop cookbook frenzy!  We even kind of lied about our reasons for not posting too much this year — in addition to being swamped with school work, we were also creating, compiling and testing recipes for the book (which, by the way, features 200 dishes!)

Our most darling and precious baby, The Frugal Foodie Cookbook is coming out September 18, 2009, and you can already buy it online at Amazon or  Borders!  Also, we are headed to the Book Expo of America on Saturday, May 30 at the Javits Center in New York — so stop by to say hi and grab a Big Apple Muffin if you are in the area.

The book features deliciously frugal recipes for cooks at all levels.  While some of the recipes are from the blog, a number of them are brand new and wonderfully tasty!  (Think: Classic Colombian Arroz con Pollo, Frugal Bouillabaisse, Gorgonzola Pizza with Radicchio and Asian Pears, Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes and more…) We really hope that everyone will check it out, especially since its super cheap — just $14.95! (That’s like 3 Starbucks lattes, or a fancy sandwich at an overpriced NY deli — practically nothing!)

Whew!  That was a lot of exclamation marks.  And that’s not even all, because we also want to share a delicious recipe for tangy, savory fish soft tacos.  My exams are finally over (woot for being a rising 2L — I am cool now), so we’ve been getting back to cooking a little.

We’ve been thinking about fish tacos ever since watching Paul Rudd and Jason Segel devour them in I Love You, Man.  Our version includes a mango salsa and an hot and crunchy cabbage salad that we’ll definitely make over and over again to eat even on its own.

Enough for now, but we’ll try to keep everyone posted on all book developments, and, of course, all of those delicious summer recipes we’ve promised ourselves we’ll be making…

Ingredients (serves 4):
(mango salsa)
2 mangoes, cut into very small pieces
2 vine tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 tbsp jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper to taste

(cabbage salad)
1 head green cabbage, sliced very thinly
2 carrots, grated
2 tbsp cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

(fish)
1 1/2 lb. tilapia fillets
juice of 3 lemons
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot sauce
12 small corn tortillas

Instructions:
To make mango salsa, stir all ingredients together gently in a large bowl, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.  To make cabbage salad, combine cabbage, carrots and cilantro in a large bowl.  Whisk together remaining ingredients, then toss with dressing until vegetables are coated.  Let rest for at least 30 minutes.  For fish, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and hot sauce.  Place fish in a shallow pan, and pour lemon marinade over it.  Let marinate for 10-15 minutes.  Heat a large pan, and add fish to pan.  Cook fish fillets for about 4 minutes on each side, until fish is cooked through.  Remove from heat, and separate into large chunks.  Serve fish, mango salsa, and cabbage salad on warm corn tortillas.

This is my last week of classes before exams.  Just as the weather becomes warm and we delirious 1Ls begin to wander out of doors like dazed, caged animals shielding our eyes from the sun, they lock us down again for a month of studying.  It is the cruelest month.

Perhaps unwisely, I took Saturday off from work for something of a “last hoorah” before finals arrive.  It’s wasn’t really a last hoorah, mainly because there weren’t really any preceding hoorahs for it to follow.  Still, I dragged Alex to the farmer’s market at 8 a.m., and we spent the day cooking for beautiful dinner party.

The meal began with these little mushroom toasts — made entirely from local ingredients we found downtown.  We simmered the mushrooms with vinegar and herbs to create a delicious warm mushroom salad, which we spooned onto fresh ricotta spread over toasted rosemary bread.  Our favorite component was the micro-mesclun greens, which we found at a stand featuring so many unique and gorgeous varieties of greens.

These made a wonderful start to a cheerful hoorah, but you can serve them at other types of parties as well, or for yourself as a simple lunch or appetizer.  Also, we’ll probably take another  blogging hiatus until finals conclude in about a month, but we’re already planning a line-up of dishes to cook and share when summer’s here.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 lb. button mushrooms
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms
1/4 lb. oyster mushrooms
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsely, chopped
1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tsp grated lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
4 thin slices rosemary bread, toasted
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cup micr0-mesclun or other small greens

Instructions:
Heat butter and oil in a pan.  Add mushrooms and 1/4 cup water, then season with salt and pepper.  Cook covered for 15 minutes, then add balsamic vinegar, parsley, tarragon and lemon zest.  Cook for another 5 minutes until liquid is syrupy.  Spread ricotta onto slices of bread, and spoon mushrooms over top.  Top with micro-mesclun and serve.

It’s among our lifelong cooking goals to bake tofu as delicious as the tofu at the Whole Food’s salad bar (that, growing a gigantic vegetable garden, and mastering the knack of cake decoration, for starters).

This last attempt marked a definitive step forward in our attempt to capture the illusory texture that makes the Whole Foods tofu so divine.  We shifted our focus from flavor to texture, and attribute our progress to a last-minute decision to bake the tofu on a roasting pan, which caused the extra marinade to drip off and allowed the tofu to become extra chewy and crisp.

We loved the combination of tofu and rice during our last tofu bake, but decided to step it this time with rice AND lettuce and carrots.  Surely, we’ve grown too daring for our own oven mitts.

Ingredients:
2 blocks extra firm tofu, sliced into 1/3-inch pieces
1 head Butter lettuce
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup bean sprouts
1 carrot, cut into very thin slices

(marinade)
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp grated ginger

Instructions:
Cover a baking sheet with three to four layers of paper towels.  Place tofu slices on the paper towels, and cover with an additional three to four layers of paper towels.  Place a second baking sheet on top of the tofu, and weigh it down with water-filled pots, law/medical school books, or other heavy items.  Let tofu press for 30 minutes, then change paper towels and repeat for another 30 minutes.  Remove paper towels, and place tofu back on the baking sheet.  Whisk together marinade ingredients, and pour marinade over tofu.  Preheat the oven broiler. Let tofu marinate for 20-30 minutes, and then place tofu on a roasting pan, reserving any extra marinade for dipping (if you don’t have a roasting pan, just keep them on the baking sheet).  Broil tofu for about 7 minutes on each side, until golden brown.  Assemble lettuce wraps with tofu, carrots, bean sprouts, rice and leftover marinade dipping sauce.

Anyone who has eaten dinner with us during past few weeks has likely eaten this salad.

We’ve been making it every night because we are obsessed with it, and we could probably continue to eat it every night until microplaned Parmesan cheese begins to seep from our pores.  That day may arrive sooner than we would like.

We first tasted a salad like this at Craft, and we first attempted to re-create it the following night.  It’s so extremely simple, but devastatingly delicious.  Microplaning the cheese very finely allows it to melt over the argula, coating every piece with a tasty layer of Parmesan.  The pine nuts cut the acidity of the lemon just enough.

If you are lemonaphobic, we can’t say we recommend this.  But for all others, we can’t not.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):
6 cups packed arugula
3 cup Parmesan, grated very, very finely (preferably with a microplane)
3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

(dressing)
juice of two lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Whisk together dressing ingredients.  Place arugula in a large bowl, and pour dressing over it, tossing to coat.  Add Parmesan cheese, and toss until it melts over the arugula.  Add toasted pine nuts, and serve.